MICHAEL METTLEN PRESENTS BUTCH THE BUTCHER

How do you know if you've suddenly gone insane? Can you only tell when the men in white coats grab you and cart you away? Or do you wait until you get made into a comic book and published by a really graphic artist? Want to know more? Then please check out the following interview I did with my mate, Michael Mettlen. Mike, it's now over to you, pal.





1) What are your own origins, Michael?   I'm an American comic book creator, writer, and illustrator, who specializes in pencil and ink. I live in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and am most probably best known for my creator-owned works, such as "KANE" and "Butch The Butcher", as well as my unforgivably violent illustrations and dark tone, mixed in with some off-beat humor.

I first got my start in the business in January 2017 when I published my first comic, 'KANE', for Advent Comics, and then in late 2017, I was approached by Marvel to work on a project with Upper Deck trading cards.

2) What inspired you to create, ‘Butch the Butcher’?   After creating "KANE" I got a lot of great feedback on my gory action scenes. You see, 'KANE' was meant to be graphic, but the feedback I got was mostly all leaning towards, "Mike, you have a gift with graphic scenes", so I decided to run with that. 'Life hands you lemons so you make lemonade', as they say, so I capitalized on that and started brainstorming ideas that focused on what people liked mostly about my work.

I'm a huge fan of mob movies and horror (Not so much modern horror, as I appreciate late 70s , 80s, 90s, and the 00s), so I blended a concept that fused together these two popular genres. While writing it I wanted it to be deep in order to give this homicidal-maniac serial-killer a bit more depth. I wanted to humanize Butch the Butcher, because I wanted Butch to represent anyone who's been pushed to the very edge, which in reality has happened to many men over the centuries. Overall I like to think that the story has a sense of realism to it, and I hope people will get a thrill because it's both tragic and terrifying at the same time.

3) In your own words, how would you describe this story?   In one word I'd say it was unique. I'm not sure about you, but I've never seen a comic that's set in the 1950s involving the Mob, a horror story, plus an insane serial killer. Visually I'd say it's very graphic and terrifying, ultra-violent, dark, and sadistic, although it can be oddly humorous at times since there's a dark satirical undertone to the story. It's also a tragic tale too. You witness Butch going through a lot of emotions before he finally snaps and becomes literally deranged, and that includes him abusing alcohol and prescription medication, after attempting suicide.

4) What song would you say best represents this comic and why?   Now that's a pretty difficult question to answer, as I don't really know where to start! Metallica's 'Unforgiven' or 'Battery'? Eminem's 'Kill You'?  Brotha Lynch Hung's 'Meat'? Or...

5) If you could get a celebrity – either living or dead – to promote your wares, who would you choose, and why would you want to choose this particular person?   Maybe Todd McFarlane because he's been my idol for years? Although I could probably say the same thing about Bernie Wrightson! He's a horror comic legend, icon, all of that, and if he loved what I'm doing and put his stamp on it, wow, I'm pretty sure everyone would want to buy a copy.

6) What have you learned about yourself through this endeavor?   Apparently, I have a twisted skill for drawing people dying, Ha-Ha-Ha! I totally never saw that one coming, but hey, I'm glad I'm capitalizing on it. If life hands you lemons you make bloody, emotion, and fear invoking comics!

7) During your time in this field, what is the one thing that has kept you in good stead?   The Lord, also known as Thy Heavenly Father. All of this has happened accidentally and rolled out real fast. I'm not rich, I'm not a superstar artist, writer, or creator, yet, The Lord continues to send me blessings. I'm now paying my families bills and still have a bit left over to buy my kids things. Certainly, it's still a struggle, but I'm blessed to be 100% self-employed by just utilizing those talents God gave me. I freelance pin up art, sequential comic pages, and sketch cards.

8) If ‘Butch’ had a motto, what would it be?   "An eye for an eye is more than just a quote".

And on that note, I'd like to thank Michael for telling us about his new comic book, ‘Butch the Butcher’, before directing you towards his official website and facebook pages. And while you're at it, why not pick yourself up a copy at nerdanatix? After all, Mike did sign a publishing deal with them on New Year’s Eve, 2017, and it’s now available along with KANE #2.